Strategy 2-A

Develop sustainable funding for doctoral education

Purpose behind creating a Work Group on Doctoral Funding

Doctoral programs at a public research university such as KU are integral to both our teaching and our research missions. Doctoral education factors into our national rankings (US News & World Report, National Research Council, etc.), and affects our standing in the AAU. Attracting top-notch doctoral students to our programs requires that we have excellent faculty and excellent programs, and that we have adequate funding to attract the best doctoral students.

Funding levels for doctoral programs vary considerably across campus, and many programs are underfunded. In addition, possible changes to how we provide general education to our undergraduates may affect doctoral programs due to shifts in GTA-taught or GTA-assisted courses.

Goal 2, Strategy A of Bold Aspirations focuses on developing sustainable funding for doctoral education. A work group with wide faculty representation has been formed to consider a range of different mechanisms for funding doctoral education at KU.

The purpose of this work group is to:

determine what the current model(s) for funding doctoral education at KU is or are, and to identify strengths and weaknesses of the current approach;

research different models that other institutions employ for funding doctoral programs, focusing in particular on peer and aspirational peer institutions; and

propose a funding model or models for doctoral education that would be most successful at KU.

This is not intended to be business as usual. The proposed model(s) should

be something that KU can reasonably accomplish;

take into account the relationship between graduate student numbers and the ability of programs to mentor students appropriately, reach appropriate target completion and time to degree goals, and place graduates in appropriate positions upon completion; and

not be burdened by the current funding model(s).

As the KU Core curriculum is developed, this group will work with the transition committee for the KU core to predict the effect on graduate funding and build a funding model that best responds to the effect of the new KU Core curriculum on GTA assignments.

Follow the progress of the Doctoral Education Work Group through the meeting minutes below.